I first met Andrew in the lobby of New York’s W Hotel in November of 2005, during the launch of PJ Media (then in its brief OSM phase, soon to return to its Pajamas for the next six years). I complemented him on how much I enjoyed Hollywood Interrupted, the book he co-wrote on how Hollywood’s elites have mentally gone off a cliff — and he seemed oddly surprised that somebody actually enjoyed the book. (Hey, there’s a reason why I made its title one of my blog categories.) Later during the week of the launch, as I wrote on my blog back then, Nina and I and the founders of PJM had dinner with Andrew at Smith & Wolinksy’s around the corner; it was fun to watch the photons just bouncing off of Andrew, who was still transitioning from being Matt Drudge’s behind-the-scenes guy to becoming as well-known as Drudge himself. “Breitbart knows the X’s and O’s of Internet news much the same way that Bill Walsh knows the West Coast Offense. You can almost see the sparks flying as he talks. And we were all happy to listen and absorb his advice,” I wrote back then.

I guess around 2008 Andrew discovered Twitter and used it to play offense, as Ace writes today:

“Hello Children at home. No, your dad’s not gay. That’s just how the left rolls.”

“Because they’ve held over our heads, with contempt, the false narrative of their innate tolerance. The least intolerant people you’ll ever meet, I know it, I live it every day, and I retweet it [I republish their hateful remarks so they have a wider audience] to remind them I know exactly who they are.”

I was just making the point on Twitter that even in death, especially in death, the left makes Andrew Breitbart’s case for him. They never seemed to understand that while the right is his audience, the left itself is his most potent ally — they prove everything he says with each hateful remark, each “ur a fag why don’t you get AIDS and die” tweet.

The left makes all of his arguments for him. All Breitbart had to do was add two letters: “RT” [re-tweet].

But then that’s the message of Andrew in a nutshell — and why the left hates him so, even in death. I’ll summarize it in a moment, but first, let’s go back to 1996, just before Matt Drudge appeared on the national scene. As David Gelernter wrote at the time:

Today’s elite loathes the public. Nothing personal, just a fundamental difference in world view, but the hatred is unmistakable. Occasionally it escapes in scorching geysers. Michael Lewis reports in the New Republic on the ‘96 Dole presidential campaign: ‘The crowd flips the finger at the busloads of journalists and chant rude things at them as they enter each arena. The journalists, for their part, wear buttons that say “Yeah, I’m the Media. Screw You.”[Emphasis mine -- Ed] The crowd hates the reporters, the reporters hate the crowd – an even matchup, except that the reporters wield power and the crowed (in effect) wields none.

Andrew, Matt and Glenn and Roger, and the rest of new media helped to smash that world. Andrew Breitbart’s entire mission, both on Twitter and on his Big sites, was to say to the MSM, you don’t get the final word anymore. It’s now a conversation. We’ll consider what you report, and how you report it, and determine for ourselves how factually accurate it is. How well it matches up with our worldview. How well it matches up with modern “liberalism’s” mission statement that promises tolerance, diversity and multiculturalism — and if you can’t respect your neighbor, simply because he disagrees with you on the size and role of government, you’ve failed that mission statement. And when you’ve failed those objectives, we’ll call you out. That’s a very different media world than the Olympian redoubt that Walter Cronkite inhabited.

Tragically, one of the most potent voices for calling out the MSM has been silenced. But as Peter Ingemi, “DaTechGuy,” tweets, “I am Andrew Breitbart right now, and if you are a blogger on the right so are all of you.”

Breitbart was walking near his home in Brentwood, Calif just after midnight Thursday when he collapsed according to his father-in-law Orson Bean. Someone saw Breitbart fall and called 911. Emergency crews tried to revive him and rushed him to the emergency room at UCLA Medical Center, Bean said.

He is survived by his wife Susannah Bean Breitbart, 41, and four children.

Terribly sad. Again, keep Susannah and the children in your prayers today.

Indeed.

Update: Glenn Reynolds has a round-up of Andrew’s death and notes this:

More:Michelle Malkin adds, “If he were here, he’d be retweeting all the insane tweets from the Left rejoicing over his death. Even in death, he succeeds in exposing the hate-filled intolerance of the tolerance poseurs.”

Still more: James Taranto adds, “An heir to Saul Alinsky is dead at 43,” and he’s right. “One key to understanding Breitbart’s effectiveness is Alinsky’s fourth rule: ‘Make the enemy live up to their own book of rules.’ He demonstrated tolerance for bigotry at NPR and the NAACP, for violent partisan rhetoric at Common Cause, and for exploitation of the poor at Acorn. And he exposed Weiner, the sanctimonious male feminist, as a concupiscent con artist.”

38 Comments, 22 Threads

1.
david5300

It’s pathtic that you would show Mr. Britebart like Che’ the murdering SOB from Cuba.
As you DAMN well know he was not violent, He was a GANDI not a CHE, exposed the true agenda of COMMUIST groups like SEIU and others. He will be missed by all who value the truth

You just don’t get it David5300! It’s a great way to get under the thin skin of those progressive liberal left douce bags who are slamming him even in his tragic passing!! I think with a little tweeking, they should make T-shirts with this picture of a true American Patriot who fought tirelessly for the constitutional conservative’s in this great country!

So I post an encomium to Andrew and the only thing you notice is the icon on the homepage? (Which is also an example of what Andrew did — taking the left’s icons and recapturing them.) Good guide to go by: if you sound like some of the people on Andrew’s twitter feed, you’re doing it wrong.

Yeah, the guy was 43 years old, made enemies of the entire government and all the takers and even the MSM. He’s on his daily walk and just collapses from nothing. no, nothing to see here, everything is fine, go back to American Idol.

StuporLib, maybe you should incorporate some fact with your drivel. You might actually make sense….for once. By all accounts, sane that is, Breitbart made friends easier than you draw idiotic conclusions. That’s a lot of friends. He was renowned for making friends with complete strangers, including many on the Left.

I understand your problem…. I really do, but maybe trying to fill your soulless void with a bankrupt ideological identity is a foolish choice. Maybe making fact-free, idiotic comments only documnets your paucity of integrity and intelligence. If you can’t challenge Breitbart’s legacy with anything more than infantile lies, you just magnify the importance of his life’s work. Is this just too far above your head? I understand.

The Breitbart website replaced my Drudgereport home page. We extend our deepest sympathy and regrets to his family, we wish them well. And we hope that his website and investigative journalism continues on from his model. Breitbart.com was one of a handful of sites that are the only checks left on corruption Our only hope if our republic is to survive. God bless you and keep you.

I honestly don’t know how the man put up with all of the abusive tweets on a daily basis.
The unrelenting hatred of his detractors is astounding. I have never seen another person receive that much negative feedback on Twitter. But I’m glad Andrew kept retweeting their hatred for all of us to see.

Sadly, these folks are now cheering his death. Their twisted prayers have been answered. Sickening.

“Behave yourselves! Stop raping people!” –Breitbart, as he confronted the Occustooges outside of CPAC, holding the mirror up — in effect asking them to look within themselves and hopefully become uncomfortable with what they saw. Because a good old-fashioned shaming, bar of soap and a pocket constitution would do ‘em all a world of good. He faced down their hatred and ignorance directly, unafraid.

It’s a lesson for us all to remember, and I thought back to it this morning when I heard the news. Don’t accept the narrative. Don’t fear the fight at hand. Expose the puppet-masters who make the groupthink goons dance. Pull off their masks. Shame them. Unseat them. Tar, feather and IMPEACH them!

Rest in peace, Andrew — and excuse us, you pathetic enemies of freedom, while we save America.

“We’ll consider what you report, and how you report it, and determine for ourselves how factually accurate it is. How well it matches up with our worldview. How well it matches up with modern “liberalism’s” mission statement that promises tolerance, diversity and multiculturalism — and if you can’t respect your neighbor, simply because he disagrees with you on the size and role of government, you’ve failed that mission statement. And when you’ve failed those objectives, we’ll call you out. ”

“I am Andrew Breitbart right now, and if you are a blogger on the right so are all of you.”

Hear! Hear!

I keep calling them out to the annoyance of my Liberal Facebook friends, and always stay ready for any challenge though only a rare few dare.

I was so shocked when I heard the news this morning, Ed. Andrew had such passion to save our country from the Left. My husband, John, and I were really looking forward to seeing him again next November at the NR Post Election Cruise. We had dinner with and his incredible wife, Susie at the 2010 cruise (and had a few drinks with you and your lovely wife, too).

He left a huge impression on me. Huge. Maybe I should start blogging again, the hell with the damn trolls. If Breitbart could handle it, so can I!

I am a peaceful person, but the damage this monster unleashed upon this once great nation will transcend his bloated and excrement-filled corpse. When he tumbled over in his Brentwood ‘hood, I just hope it hurt on the way down . . .

Are you referring to the Liar Socialist in chief? I concur, the damage he has done to your country is beyond sad. Peaceful as Islam – religion of Peace? Keep pretending who knows you might come to believe yourself, just beware of mirrors.

By their fruits they shall be known. RIP Andrew.
Get some therapy Super Lib and G’Bear. Your heads have been where the sun doesn’t shine for so long that, um, tolerance is spewing forth from your mouth.

From Shakespeare’s Henry V, 1598:
KING HENRY V: This story shall the good man teach his son; And Crispin Crispian shall ne’er go by, From this day to the ending of the world, But we in it shall be remember’d; We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he to-day that sheds his blood with me Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile, This day shall gentle his condition: And gentlemen in England now a-bed Shall think themselves accursed they were not here, And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day.

This is just bad all around,I umm,added to Andrews sudden death, are these wild eyed dancing on the grave Liberals, who are just insanely vulgar,the filth coming from them unbelievably beyond any thing,anything, that I have ever witnessed,the Muslims being an exception maybe? I know we have our bad apples too,but never nothing to rise as this has,and straight from the belly of hell…They are even wishing bad things against Andrews children,you can’t get lower than that can you? I’m 52 years old, well traveled, Southern hard,and considered my self numb to a lot of things,because of the horrors committed in the Mideast,but not Americans,not in this manner and with so many souls so incensed with glee for the lost of a humans life? Andrew doesn’t deserve that, but he would have welcome it too, just for the fight, I think he would,a true Warrior

The very untimely death of arch-conservative Andrew Breitbart promises to fuel suspicions that foul play was involved. Indeed, another arch-conservative, radio commentator Michael Savage, has already suggested Breitbart was assassinated.

The 43 year old Breitbart, who had said three weeks earlier, ”Wait til they see what happens March first,” died near his Los Angeles home on Thursday, March first. According to the Associated Press and Reuters, the conservative firebrand had a history of heart problems and his personal website, Breitbart.com, reported he died “unexpectedly from natural causes” although no cause has yet been provided.

Indicative of official doubt as to reasons for his sudden death, the LA coroner’s office announced it would conduct an autopsy. Whatever the autopsy findings, it can be certain many will conclude Andrew Breitbart was murdered by one of his many enemies.

Aside from the deaths of Rush Limbaugh or Glenn Beck, no conservative’s passing would have delighted the rabid left more than Breitbart’s and his enemies began to spew their hatred in venomous articles and tweets within hours of the reports.

The taxpayer-subsidized NPR called him a “provocateur” and ”bombastic.” The Huffington Post’s Arianna Huffington was about the only prominent liberal who didn’t rip Breitbart. She couldn’t bring herself to describe his political influence but did praise him as a passionate, exuberant, and fearless friend.

WashingtonExaminer.com published a few of the earliest tweets, beginning with Slate.com’s Matt Yglesias’, “Conventions around dead people are ridiculous. The world outlook is slightly improved with @AndrewBrietbart dead.”

That mean-spirited observation was gracious compared to others including, “Andrew Breitbart now enjoying afternoon tea with Hitler good riddance you hack,” ”Andrew Breitbart died? Is it wrong that I’m happier about that than when they got bin Laden and Saddam?” ”Breitbart dead? More republicans should follow his lead,” “Andrew Breitbart is dead, He was a vile excuse for a human being,” and “Andrew Breitbart haha youre dead and in hell being a gay with hitler.”

I assume those tweets were either a consequence of President Obama’s call for more national civility or a reflection of the fear Obamians are experiencing as they await Breitbart’s tapes of Barack Obama at Harvard.